I'm dying to hear what theme music Howard Shore will dream up for Smaug the Golden! There it is: dwarves are not heroes, but calculating folk with a great idea of the value of money; some are tricky and treacherous and pretty bad lots; some are not, but are decent enough people like Thorin and Company, if you don't expect too much.

There it is: dwarves are not heroes, but calculating folk with a great idea of the value of money; some are tricky and treacherous and pretty bad lots; some are not, but are decent enough people like Thorin and Company, if you don't expect too much.

and the Ringwraiths!!! I hope they don't all look the like Video Game Witch King.... "There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go."

And Thorin in the last one. Seriously. As much as I dread it, I'm really looking forward to his fall from grace, and his redemption at the end. It will definitely be the most interesting character development arc.

I see the Elvenking as less a villain than an obstacle in the company's way. He had good reasons to distrust strangers in his Realm given the darkening of the Greenwood into Mirkwood Forest. Even after the demise of Smaug, once King Thranduil discovers that the dwarves are still alive, he proves reluctant to go to war over treasure alone.

I expect Thorin's fall to be handled in an almost Shakespearean manner, much as how Tolkien himself treated it. 'There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world.' - Gandalf the Grey, The Fellowship of the Ring

-He locked the dwarves in prison for over a month. -He was willing to kill them over the treasure after Smaug died -Not only did he not help fight Smaug, he didn't even help the injured survivors nor did he help the survivors find a new home.

I'm assuming he'll show up somewhere (he's been cast?), and if so he'll be the main villain in the Battle of Five Armies. Maybe he'll be introduced in DoS, then be fleshed out in TaBA. There it is: dwarves are not heroes, but calculating folk with a great idea of the value of money; some are tricky and treacherous and pretty bad lots; some are not, but are decent enough people like Thorin and Company, if you don't expect too much.

-He locked the dwarves in prison for over a month. -He was willing to kill them over the treasure after Smaug died -Not only did he not help fight Smaug, he didn't even help the injured survivors nor did he help the survivors find a new home.

In point of fact, Thranduil had assumed that Smaug had already killed Thorin and his followers. When he learned of their survival he expressed reluctance to press an attack for treasure alone.

Thranduil does imprison the dwarves, but he as good reasons to be suspicious as they would give no account of themselves and he treats them fairly decently.

Realisticly, Thranduil could not have brought a force to bear against Smaug until well after the dwarves had been driven out of Erebor or eaten. Yes, he could have shown more sympathy for the survivors, but at least he didn't attack them in turn. Apparently, he blamed King Thror for bringing the dragon down upon himself and the region. Thranduil's palace was underground, but many other communities of the Greenwood Elves were not. Smaug presumably raided a few of them as well. 'There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world.' - Gandalf the Grey, The Fellowship of the Ring

When he learned of their survival he expressed reluctance to press an attack for treasure alone.

He didn't leave though. I'm sure he would be reluctant to lose some of his men in a fight for treasure, but he was willing to do it.

Thranduil does imprison the dwarves, but he as good reasons to be suspicious as they would give no account of themselves and he treats them fairly decently.

"Take him away and keep him safe, until he feels inclined to tell the truth, even if he waits a hundred years." Sounds like a cruel punishment to me, but I guess he has the right since it's his land. One could also argue that the trolls weren't villains, just hungry and out looking for food. It's not as if every lion that kills a gazelle is a villain...really just depends on what side you're on.

Since we are following the dwarves, anyone that stands in their way is technically a villain until the situation changes. Thranduil starts out a villain.

Thranduil could not have brought a force to bear against Smaug until well after the dwarves had been driven out of Erebor or eaten

I don't blame him for not fighting Smaug. That would be much too risky.

Yes, he could have shown more sympathy for the survivors, but at least he didn't attack them in turn.

He's obviously not pure evil, just not that caring. “But I expect they will all come to a bad end, and serve them right!” Was it really all the dwarves fault? Did they not deserve some help? I definitely wouldn't call him a good character in this light.

...the real villain of the trilogy, manipulating Smaug, the Trolls, the Necromancer, Azog, Bolg, the Wargs, and the Goblins from behind the scenes!

On a more serious note, I do wonder how the connections between the various villains will play out. It seems that Smaug is acting independently, but Azog could possibly be connected to the Necromancer via Bolg working at Dol Guldur. (Why?) Will the Necromancer have some connection to the Battle of the Five Armies or will Bolg be acting more or less independently here? Will we see the Goblin-town Goblins again, or will the focus be on Mount Gundabad? And again, will this be connected to events at Dol Guldur?

I'm most curious to see how these elements play out because it seems like they're the ones most changed from the book. As for Smaug, I imagine his role will play out essentially as it does in the book, although I am curious as to how they portray him! Want to chat? AIM me at Yami Liokaiser!